The little engagement employers received has now … 8 Easy & Creative Ways to Keep Remote Employees Engaged . While working remotely isn't for everyone, if your team is at least partly remote, you may want to see if you're doing everything possible to ensure … That’s why so many work from home trends in 2021 have immediately shaped how we connect with one another. Create a Zoom meeting link and send it out to clients or vendors, who can ‘swing by’ your online happy hour and drop by for a chat. Here are five important ways to engage a remote workforce: 1. If you plan to have a video call, or if you’re expected to dial into the team meeting with video, make sure your home office setup is in tip-top shape! If you need to block out any background noise, check out our guide on how to remove background noise from calls. Collaborate on files, projects and presentations together in real time. Make yourself available, and be first to respond when contacted. Tweet. It could be ‘writing a movie,’ or ‘rewriting a popular TV show,’ with each department lead, or employee, adding a new sentence each week on a threaded email. There is also link to a FREE webinar at the end of the article. 9 ways to maintain staff morale in a remote work environment 1. I still consider it more effective and reliable than iMessage when I’m traveling and far from home. Everyone loves a good ‘congrats!’ GIF here and there. Make sure you keep all employees in the loop of what is going on while reinforcing them with positive feedback. Get weekly updates with proven, actionable tips to help you lead your team. 6 Ways to Keep Your Team Productive While Working From Home ... with more businesses than ever encouraging or requiring employees to work from home. playb/Getty Images. Avoid micromanaging. Make sure to learn how to network remotely! Keeping your workforce focussed and engaged is key to having a positive experience of home working. Skype for Business integrates with other platforms like Microsoft Office, so it can link to Microsoft platform programs like Outlook, Calendar, SharePoint and OneDrive. Have you ever worked on a shared Google spreadsheet and been delighted with seeing your colleague’s edits in real time? So are instant messages and Slack DMs. Deadlines and commitments aren't always enough motivation.Still, employees who work from home continue to report loving their jobs more than those in their cubicle.Leadership IQ provides an online test that gathers data regarding an employee’s feeling toward their job based on the employ… I’ve always found it challenging to find news that I want to read about, and then sit down to actually read about it. Have a post-work cooking competition among teams or coworkers. 4 Ways to Keep Employees Engaged While Facing a National Crisis. Read on for five areas to keep in mind while you’re trying to keep employees engaged and help them make the most of their days working from home. 19. You can also receive phone calls to Teams, if your organization permits, and therefore, you can receive voicemails there as well. I subscribe to the main mailing list and Dan also subscribes to the technology and marketing lists. Keep them engaged with Recognition. We send updates with our newest articles, tips, advice and more. You may hear something new about a browser, or a new web technology. Unite your team with daily standups, make progress visible, and reach goals faster—all in minutes a day. Soon, I became totally addicted (in a good way!). Slack’s pretty cool, and some organizations choose to have the unpaid version, which, if you’re using it, take note that it only stores 10,000 of the most recent messages, organization-wide. Donut will randomly pair you, ask an icebreaker question like, “If I were a superhero, I’d be…” and then it checks in with you a week later to make sure you “met,” however the meeting took place. I have a group chat with my high school friends and we finally figured out that you can hit “FaceTime” in your iMessages and it sends an invitation for a video call to everyone in the chat. I’ve used Donut both in person and virtually, and have made some cool connections. This is useful for people who have something in common, like having attended an event all together, or planning a project on the go. There may be times when you think: “Do my in-office coworkers assume I slack off all day?”, “Do they think of me as part of the team?”. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Reddit Print Buffer Pocket. While some employees expect to thrive working remotely, others fear they'll feel isolated or unmotivated to work in their own homes. They’re a great way to cure writer’s block. By Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton March 17, 2020 March 19, 2020. “Work-life balance is one of the most important things employers can do to help employees not only stay healthy and fit, but keep them engaged day by day. By Pooja Bajaj | 30th Mar 2020. You’ll learn something every time =you listen. As technology changes the way the world works, remote workforce engagement is growing in importance. 9 Ways to Keep Employees Motivated while they Work from Home. The ‘book club’ itself can take place in a virtual meeting over Zoom, attended by every member of the club on a month or semi-monthly basis. Be all over Google Calendar, or your organization’s calendar system. If you want to help your employees have a smooth transition and want to keep them engaged and motivated in the time of COVID-19, we bring you 9 Ways to do just that. Back to discussing if you can use WhatsApp for work, the answer is sure. Plan an organization-wide virtual talent show. This eradicates your positive reinforcement and causes the employee to leave with a draw-down critique more so then constructive criticism lined with positivity. Leaders, engage your remote employees, every day. Staying connected while working from home should come naturally – whether it’s speaking with clients, vendors, coworkers, managers or direct reports. “Teams,” as it’s now called, seems to be Microsoft’s answer to Slack. Aside from running this podcast, they are some of my favorite YouTubers (I wrote about some of my favorite photography YouTubers here!). Share. SHARES . “To keep our employees motivated, we are encouraging and hosting virtual social time. Create custom emojis that have to do with your organization’s vernacular or trusted vocabulary words. While working remotely your employees may feel disconnected sometimes, small team rituals are the way to unite them in the virtual space. Shipping delays may occur. In order to make Slack fun, yet effective, start channels about being productive or about ways to optimize work, and invite others. For freelancers, follow up with clients, and utilize ‘snooze.’. But don’t let that deter you – you can get creative. Did you know that WhatsApp will allow you to have 256 members of a single group chat? Sam Campbell. I got a good night’s sleep and when I woke at 6 a.m. the next day, the ideas were suddenly flowing. A worker who feels isolated from a team isn’t going to be happy or productive. It was first released in 2009, which makes it a bit like a veteran among other apps! She corrects my grammar, answers my questions and teaches me slang. We're currently traveling full time and capturing as much of our experience as we can. Their intro speaks for itself when they say: […] informative look at what’s happening right now (and next) in the world of technology and gadgets. I like meeting face to face. I’ve had interviews, meetings and chats all over Google Hangouts. Invest in a laptop stand, to get your laptop propped up and get your camera at the same height as your head. I'm Heather, the author. When employees aren’t recognized for their hard work, they won’t have the drive to excel at their jobs. Here are a few ways you can show your staff you care and help them stay productive and happy. Conducting regular check-ins are one of the many ways you can emulate face to face interactions. Working from home is becoming a necessity in today’s modern workplace. Start a Slack or Teams channel (or recurring email) for milestones in employees’ lives, like engagements, weddings, babies and accomplishments. Grosse points out that giving people more control over their time will result in happier and more engaged workers. Don't let this doubt your belief in the power of remote work, because Gallup research finds that employees who spend at least some time working remotely are "more likely to feel engaged in their jobs than those who never work remotely." Hopefully your coworkers are fun and want to stay connected with you, and with each other. A client of mine, whose team of 15 people are now all working from home, established daily 30-minute morning team check-ins to stay connected and on … It’s important that companies create an environment where leadership and employees can stay connected while working from home. Fun ways to keep in touch with coworkers while working remotely. It’ll make you smile. So well, in fact, that I sometimes think smartphone voice recording apps were created specifically for mid-afternoon jogs. Be collaborative by starting custom tags, color-coding and setting accurate deadlines. Hopefully your coworkers are fun and want to stay connected with you, and with each other. Try the Roost laptop stand, or a budget alternative, Nexstand. 3 ways to keep employees connected while working from home Image Component needs to be configured. Won’t. People (including you, and me!) Many people will consider The Daily one of their go-to podcasts for what’s going on in the world, right now, from one of the most reputable sources (the NY Times). Are you tired of having your laptop’s camera below face-level? We created this blog to share some of the knowledge and experience that we have around travel and photography. Basking under the flickering glow of the fluorescent lights or basking under a warm sun. Matti Haapoja and Peter McKinnon run this show. In this article, we’ll cover the baselines of remote work communication, the apps and tools that get you ready for keeping in touch while working from home and a list of great ways to stay connected with coworkers, clients and friends. In addition, you can direct message anyone, in order to have a one-on-one conversation, and from there, you can create smaller dialogues among more than two people if you’re talking about a topic or have something to discuss. A great idea for dispersed companies with virtual teams is starting a company-wide project. Share. If there were ever Slack rules, they would be, “Refrain from ‘blowing up’ channels by adding one-word answers or meaningless contributions.”. While it’s very hard to keep the employees continuously engaged at work, you can choose to have a win-win situation by working on these employee engagement ideas. If you are correcting their work, make sure to never respond with positive feedback followed by “but, …”. Even though some of our teams are scattered across thousands of miles, we are still able to have fun and keep in touch with each other. Somehow, “Today, Explained,” became one of the podcasts I listen to every single day. After three hours of painstakingly plowing through mediocre work, I powered down my PC. In fact, the remote companies I work with all welcome it. ), I’ll click on “video” to surprise him or her. You’ll hear a conversation about some of the latest news in web development. Be vocal and add meaning in Slack channels. I FaceTime with my friend Ayelen and she talks to me completely in Spanish, so I have to keep up. By Pooja Bajaj | 30th Mar 2020. Listen to (or watch) The Colin and Samir podcast. We talk to our parents on the phone, and it helps catch up on our days and what’s going on in our lives so much more clearly than text messages. Try the above ideas and see how well your employees are working together, which will simply be called ‘happiness.’ Allison Goldberg and Jen Jamula. For years Collaborative Solutions has maintained a hybrid workforce; that is to say, many of our employees work from home several days a week and some work remotely full-time. They are great storytellers and break down a lot of popular content that is currently relevant. No supervisor watching your seat. Dan and I both subscribe to different news outlets and media, as not only do we want to stay in touch with local news, but we like to stay in touch with things in our respective professional interests. Yet, even before the recent COVID-19 outbreak, remote working can be a challenge for many organizations looking to engage their teams and employees effectively.Understanding how to manage and engage employees can yield the same, if not better, results than when employees are in the office. Even if they are not here physically, they have a right to know about what’s happening in the organization. Understanding the basics of employee engagement. The Economist is one of the podcasts I try to listen to because it exposes me to topics I usually wouldn’t hunt down in my regular news. When talking to employees, tell them how much you appreciate their work while focusing on the positive characteristics. Skype for Business is popular with more traditional corporations. Yes, some productivity authorities swear by those tips. As employees around the world embrace “the World’s Largest Work-From-Home Experiment,” they’re also experiencing the unprecedented levels of stress that come with working remotely under uncertain circumstances.. In the midst of the last global crisis in 2008, WD-40 Company chief executive Garry Ridge recalls that fear was beginning to consume his employees. This is especially true for those of us balancing work and childcare. Working Remotely from Home Doesn’t Mean Being Alone. Avoid micromanaging. Anyone can virtually “drop in” (while also eating lunch) and learn about this specialty or skill, with a Q+A session at the end. Slack also makes communication streamlined, because you can react to a message or announcement with an emoji, rather than ‘blowing up’ the amount of text that would be entailed by replying with, “Great!” or “I agree!”. Before the coronavirus outbreak began to unfold, “43% of US employees worked remotely at least some of the time,” according to Gallup. While the work arrangement can have positive effects on your business’ performance, keeping your remote team motivated and connected can be more of a challenge. This podcast focuses on business-related topics, and gives a scope of how they affect the world. If your coworkers are witty, fun-loving and into comedy, share jokes or videos that will make people chuckle as they scroll through their emails. You’re not alone! It’s likely that when your employees gathered in the office every day, they found ways to celebrate achievements together. Here are 5 management tips on how to keep remote workers engaged and motivated: These links are always disclosed, and help us run our site. According to the latest report from Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs, at least 3.9 million American employees are working from home [at least half of the time].. When a remote employee feels actively engaged, they’re more likely to be energized by their work, motivating to those around them and willing to tackle difficult problems. We’ve come up with a list of creative strategies for how to engage remote employees, all centered around three main elements: communication, participation, and appreciation. Remote working isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Pick up the phone to make a call, and hear someone’s voice! Start a “water cooler” Slack channel that employees can ‘drop by’ when they need a little pick-me-up or 2-minute break. Donut is a cute Slack integration that randomly “sets up” pairs of employees in the Donut channel to go on virtual first dates (that can also be translated into real life). You can do yoga, chair stretching, or even a meditation session to keep everyone fit and healthy. Working from home can have many benefits for both employees and employers, from savings on commercial rent to better flexibility in work. A high-performing workforce is essential for growth and survival, and employee engagement is a major focus for senior executives looking to optimize the performance of their workforce. For our workers who have never worked from home, social isolation is deeply felt. According to the latest report from Global Workplace Analytics and FlexJobs, at least 3.9 million American employees are working from home [at least half of the time].. “Lunch” is just a placeholder! I like The Daily because I trust the information, and the lengths of the podcasts are very palatable, at 20-25 minutes. With Zoom, there are options like a Q & A box for the attendees, break-out sessions (I was in my first auto-break-out-session in a Zoom event this week), panelist and admin abilities and screen sharing. Remote working isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It’s also overwhelming to figure out where to begin! 5 Ways to Keep Your Employees Engaged During the Coronavirus Outbreak. Connecting with your coworkers when you work remotely doesn’t have to be a pain, or a chore, or a struggle. Instead, find fun ways to stay socially connected with your coworkers and managers. Remote teams can adjust schedules so early birds overlap night owls and time zones line up for at least part of the day. Probably not in the conventional way you’re used to. There’s no heading down the hall to see who’s ready for a coffee break or calling the IT guy when the printer jams. Not all work relationships are with coworkers, especially if you are a small business owner or freelancer. Here are a few perfect ideas. I like that the host is funny and light-hearted, and the topics are all current, and varied. Have Friday after-work drinks during a video chat, organize secret Santa for Christmas, keep a separate chat for cute pet pictures, share the fun fact of the week – the list can go as far as your imagination does. If you’ve followed our story, you know that we love to talk about coffee. If you’re in touch with your company’s head of culture or HR lead, propose a company-wide talent show that can be scheduled over Zoom. I like this because it keeps you up-to-date with new phones, computers, gaming consoles and more. It’s been proven that spending time on non-work activities with coworkers strengthens working relationships. Lastly, you can join a Skype for Business meeting by simply clicking the “Join Meeting” button, whether on desktop or mobile. Getting creative—virtually “It is important to keep the team in positive spirits. by Martin Jones. Especially when you become remote, keeping in touch with coworkers in a phone call helps avoid misunderstandings. Have Friday after-work drinks during a video chat, organize secret Santa for Christmas, keep a separate chat for cute pet pictures, share the fun fact of the week – the list can go as far as your imagination does. Here are a few ways you can show your staff you care and help them stay productive and happy. We're an NYC-based couple who work remotely. I like working in coworking spaces, at laptop-friendly cafes in Brooklyn and at coffee shops around the world. 1. Make time for group calls like sharing virtual dinners. This can be in the form of one on one meetings with your employees, or as a group to check-in with their progress at work. As a contractor, I’ve worked with many remote teams over the years and can confirm that much of what “they” say is true: Remote employees tend to be happier, healthier and more engaged than their in-office counterparts. Employee Milestone Celebrations. That’ll get really old, really fast. A. Well, it might be far away, depending on how far you are from said office, but it doesn’t mean the chit-chat is dead. In our free time during the work day, we’d catch up with people and talk about things that they recently found interesting. So even if you choose to work at coffee shops and coworking spaces, you can show up where and when it works for you. “You’ll have more time for your kids,” they predicted. Or during a seven-minute workout. In short: how can you keep remote employees engaged, and how can you know whether what you’re doing is working or not? This is not the way it always was, which is apparent if you Google “ways to stay connected while working from home” and stumble across the article from 2007. When working from home, your daily rhythm may change. As the world battles the Coronavirus pandemic, employees are forced to work from home. Join colleagues in online and virtual games like Scrabble, or whichever other competitive online games exist these days. 1922 shares Note: It’s been 4 years since we wrote this article—Whoa time flies! Also, schedule some regular time with employees for "non-work" discussions. Start a remote work mentorship program within your organization. They often talk about YouTube trends, entrepreneurship and gear. I'm the editor of the Jell blog. The thing is, employees are now working from home full time until further notice. Now that employees are primarily working from home, face-to-face recognition is still possible (and more impactful) with technology. I thrive off of human connection – big time. The podcast is really well done, and there is also a video component that you can watch. Virtual Dance Party (Recommended) One of the quickest and easiest virtual team building activities is the Virtual Dance Party. WhatsApp is a fine tool to use for reaching clients or work contacts, especially if you have a separate work phone, work phone number or even a Google Fi number. Clearly communicate your working hours with your teammates and collaborators so that they know when to … We don’t need to explain that it’s an unprecedented moment. Having a large number of teams or even departments suddenly working remotely from home comes with many challenges. and has a lot of options for an organization or network of people. Remote work is on the rise right now. Formerly known as Gchat, yes – it’s Google Hangouts! It. The key to staying connected while working remotely is to spend time with your staff. Surprise someone with a ‘real phone call.’. It releases chemicals to the brain that boost productivity as well. To keep your employees’ spirits up while they’re working from home, it’s crucial to continue celebrating employee milestones. 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